Ayrshire Scotland Business News is provided by the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire. We publicise our members, and celebrate and report the wealth and rich diversity of entrepreneurial and business excellence that abounds here in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland. For further information e-mail Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Scotland’s economy continues to grow during global downturn

NEW GDP figures show that Scotland’s economy continued to grow in the second quarter of 2008 (April to June 2008).

Statistics show that Scottish GDP rose by 0.1 per cent over the quarter and by 1.8 per cent over the year.

In comparison, UK GDP remained flat at 0.0 per cent over the quarter and grew by 2.5 per cent over the year.

Commenting, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney (pictured above) said: “These figures show that Scotland’s economy, during huge global uncertainty earlier this year, was still growing, and at a marginally greater rate than the UK.

“But growth is clearly slowing, which is concerning, and undoubtedly reflects the impact of the global downturn on Scotland’s real economy.

“Economic events around the world have moved on considerably since the period of these statistics. Although we have areas of real strengths - like a strong, skilled labour market and vibrant energy and engineering sectors - we now need urgent measures to get the economy moving.

“The Scottish Government is doing all it can. Within our fixed budget we have already announced accelerated investment in affordable housing, and the Cabinet have identified a six-point programme to help business and hard pressed households.

“But these figures back our call for a significant programme of reflation from the UK Government to boost the wider economy, as they control the key economic levers that can make a real difference.

“We want to see further and deep cuts in interest rates and lower tax on energy bills over this winter. And in difficult times we need flexibility - that’s why the Treasury needs to relax its inflexible accounting rules so that we can access our unused money in UK bank accounts, such as the Fossil Fuel Levy and our own underspend, for investment in economic activity in Scotland now.”

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THE EDITORThe Editor of Ayrshire Scotland Business News is Murdoch MacDonald, a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge University, where his journalistic contemporaries included John Simpson, now World Affairs Editor with the BBC, and Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the Guardian. Murdoch MacDonald has been in the public relations industry and a freelance journalist and broadcaster for more than 35 years.He has handled the PR accounts of many top Scottish companies, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Life, John Menzies, Kwik-Fit and Barratt Homes.

He has hosted his own family finance programmes - "£s, Pence and Sense" on Radio Forth and "Moneywise" on Scottish Television.He now runs Ayrshire’s top PR consultancy Fame Publicity Services.

Wherever you are in the world, no other public relations consultancy, PR firm or publicity company can offer you a better or more cost-effective worldwide news distribution service, combined with search engine optimisation techniques that will drive customers and qualified sales leads to your company's website.

Murdoch MacDonald is also managing director of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire.Telephone: 01292 281498E-mail: Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

Murdoch and his wife Lilian (pictured above) have written a book called "Phoenix in a Bottle", describing how they overcame alcoholism and are now, contrary to conventional wisdom, able to drink alcohol responsibly again. "Phoenix in a Bottle" is published by Melrose Books price £16.99 and is now available worldwide.Reviewing the book, eminent American addiction expert Dr Stanton Peele PhD commented:

“Phoenix in a Bottle is a modern version of The Days of Wine and Roses, and tells the true story of how two people who entered a period of desperate drinking stayed with one another in a close loving relationship, and emerged from their alcoholism able to drink responsibly again.

“Both a wonderful love story and a challenge to conventional wisdom about how people can recover from drinking problems, Phoenix in a Bottle gives people hope, and helps them to confront their own demons - alcohol or otherwise.”

And now "Phoenix in a Bottle" has been selected as a set text by a top American university.

“Phoenix in a Bottle” by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald will now be required reading for all doctoral students in a psychology programme at Alliant International University in San Diego, California.

Alliant International University, headquartered in San Diego and San Francisco, California, was formed in 2001 by the merger of the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and the United States International University. Alliant has 6 campuses throughout California and also runs programmes in Mexico City, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant is one of the premier psychology schools in the US, and it counts roughly half the licensed clinical psychologists in California as its alumni.

Dr. Gary W. Lawson is Professor of Psychology at CSPP. He says: “I adopted Phoenix in a Bottle because the dilemma this couple struggled with and the questions they ask themselves are like so many others I have encountered in 35 years of clinical experience treating addictions.“However, nowhere in addiction literature have I seen these issues examined and explained as well as Lilian and Murdoch do in Phoenix in a Bottle.“I also recommend Phoenix in a Bottle to many of my patients as well.”

You can buy "Phoenix in a Bottle" by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald online now direct from Amazon UK (click on book cover image below).